All drop systems starting from a distribution system including a satellite dish, a CATV distribution system, and a traditional telephone system have the same purpose of faithfully transmitting RF energy from the distribution system to a television, a cable modem, or other devices to which the RF energy is directed.
Within a drop system, there are points in the cable lines where either passive or active devices are inserted for a variety of purposes. Ground blocks may be inserted to provide a grounding point designed to provide electrical safety from voltage surges. Splitters and diplexers may be inserted to split a RF signal from a single cable to a number of cables to distribute the RF signal to a multitude of devices within a dwelling, or filter certain portions of RF signal's spectra. Amplifiers may be inserted to boost signal levels. Splice fittings may be inserted to repair or replace a damaged cable.
At the end of the drop system, the cable may be terminated into a variety of devices including set top boxes, cable modems, etc. designed to produce a final product, namely voice, video, or data.
Where each of the devices as described above is inserted into the cable lines, there are connections to be made between the cable and the inserted devices. In the conventional method of making these connections, an inserted device having threaded female ports, which accept F male connectors with a protruding center conductor, is used. These connections serve the following purposes. The first purpose is to provide an electrically compatible transition from the cable to the device being inserted. The cable sizes vary from RG-59 to RG-11 sized braided cables. The second is to protect an electrical connection from the environment by sealing the connection from moisture, dust, and other elements, which might degrade an electrical path. The third is to keep RF energy confined in the transmission system and to keep external signals from entering the transmission system. The fourth is to maintain a mechanically strong connection. The mechanically strong connection will maintain an electrical connection despite external mechanical forces. The fifth is to allow the inserted devices to be connected and disconnected repeatedly for the purposes of system maintenance, upgrades, and alterations. These connections between the cable and the inserted devices are a constant source of maintenance and reliability issues for the service providers. For example, metallic incompatibility may occur in the form of galvanic reactions, and accelerated corrosion. The connections between the cable and the inserted devices may be susceptible to improper torque of the nut by the craftsperson allowing for degradation of the outer conductor performance, and the ingress/egress of electrical signals. Poor performance may occur over time due to the fact that there are generally three electrical connections made with the standard feed through connector, and up to four connections made with a captivated pin type connector. Each connector must be installed with its corresponding seal ring. Using other manufacturer's seal rings will reduce its effectiveness in sealing the connections. This may create compatibility issues, and the need to maintain stock organization. Moreover, compression tools are not always compatible between connector manufacturers and specific tools for each connector type used are required.
To increase the reliability of the drop system, a connection, which eliminates these issues, is required. These issues may be eliminated by, for example, encapsulating the electrical connections, reducing the number of electrical connections made, simplifying and standardizing the installation process, and eliminating dissimilar metal issues.